Welcome to Buy Fresh Buy Local
Buy Fresh Buy Local connects farms to people. We make it easy to find Hampton Roads'
fresh and delicious locally grown and produced food.
fresh and delicious locally grown and produced food.
Farm to Fork: More Taste, Less Waste
This year we are adding a new twist to the event. Farm to Fork is an afternoon of food tastings with dishes put together by local chefs with products donated from local farms. One of the many outcomes of using local food is the benefit to the environment. This year we will promote restaurants and farms AND showcase their environmentally sustainable practices they use when sourcing or growing local food.
The 2018-2019 Buy Fresh Buy Local Guide has been published! Find it in stores, restaurants and businesses across Hampton Roads, or
DOWNLOAD IT HERE.
The Guide is a one-stop resource for all of your local food needs. In it you will find information about farms, farm markets, restaurants, specialty stores, wineries and breweries that source their food locally.
Join us for the viewing of
Wasted! The Story of Food Waste
Panel discussion to follow. Guests include:
Tim Cole, Virginia Beach Public Schools,
Renee Figurelle, Food Bank of South Eastern Virginia,
&
Laura Habr, Virginia Beach Restaurant Association
May 16 6:30 pm
Brock Environmental Center
3663 Marlin Bay Dr, Virginia Beach, VA
Wasted! The Story of Food Waste
Panel discussion to follow. Guests include:
Tim Cole, Virginia Beach Public Schools,
Renee Figurelle, Food Bank of South Eastern Virginia,
&
Laura Habr, Virginia Beach Restaurant Association
May 16 6:30 pm
Brock Environmental Center
3663 Marlin Bay Dr, Virginia Beach, VA
Why Buy Local?
There are many reason why buying fresh, local food from your community is important. Here are a just a few:
There are many reason why buying fresh, local food from your community is important. Here are a just a few:
- Buying local food keeps our dollars invested in our own community.
- If every area household spent just $10 a week on local foods, it could generate $384.2 million annually in southeastern Virginia, and $1.65 billion statewide. Take the $10 a week challenge!
- Getting to know the farmer who grows your food builds relationships based on understanding and trust, the foundation of strong communities
- There's never been a more critical time to support our farmers. Between 2002 and 2007, Virginia lost more than 500,000 acres of farm land. With each local food purchase, you choose to support farms staying farms and farmers staying farmers.
- Local food is fresher and tastes better than food shipped long distances from other states or countries. Local farmers can offer produce varieties grown for their taste and freshness rather than for shipping and long shelf life
- Knowing where your food comes from and how it is grown or raised may enable you to choose food from farmers who certify that they avoid or reduce their use of chemicals, pesticides, hormones, antibiotic or genetically modified seed in their operations.
How To Buy Local
- Start Small. Just $10 a week can have a huge impact. Do what you can that fits your lifestyle. Every food choice you make is voting with your dollar for the kind of food system you want.
- Know where your food comes from and how it is produced. Ask the question: Who is your farmer? Who is your fisherman? If you donʼt see local food at the market – ask for it.
- Buy local products whenever possible. Fruits, vegetables, fish and shellfish, honey,wine, vodka, pastured meats and eggs, even flowers are all locally produced and available.
- Shop at farmers markets. Plan to get most of your produce there or think about joining a CSA (farm share) or Co-op.
- Eat with the seasons. Your food will be thousands of miles tastier and more nutritious.
- Support restaurants that serve locally produced food. Ask your waiter (nicely) what dishes use local products.
- Cook more. Educate your family. Take the local challenge to eat one local meal a week.
- Grow things you canʼt buy in stores. And save a bundle of money by growing your own peppers, tomatoes, herbs, and salad greens.
- Visit a farm. Or start your own garden, volunteer in a community garden, plant a row for the hungry, teach a child how to garden.
- Preserve what is growing in season. Can. Freeze. Make jam. Dehydrate figs and tomatoes. Each preserved bit of summer becomes a warm memory in January.
- Support small farming everywhere. Buy from small producers: olive oil, barbecue sauce, balsamic vinegar, flour...whatever you can.
- Move from processed food to fresh food. Shop the periphery of the grocery store. If itʼs processed, look for the items with the smallest number of ingredients.
- GET INVOLVED! Join BFBL-HR. Help us spread the word at farmers markets and community events, distribute food guides, work on Farm-to-School, Farm-to Feast programs,and special events.
Support Sustainable Agriculture Event
Youth are leading the way for advocacy and research about sustainable living. Come out to Commune Norfolk on Friday, March 30th to taste local food, listen to live music, and support a good cause.
First Colonial High School and The Governor's School for the Arts student, Jonah Graham, will showcase his Legal Studies Academy capstone project with a night full of educational entertainment about agriculture.
Pungo-Tuck Local Beef Co., Cartwright Family Farms, New Earth Farm, Westside Produce & Provisions, and Honey Badger Honey will be there to hand out samples and talk about their sustainable practices.
Live music performed by 623 Jazz Combo.
You can purchase tickets on-line or at the door. Your $10 donation supports Buy Fresh Buy Local Hampton Roads.
First Colonial High School and The Governor's School for the Arts student, Jonah Graham, will showcase his Legal Studies Academy capstone project with a night full of educational entertainment about agriculture.
Pungo-Tuck Local Beef Co., Cartwright Family Farms, New Earth Farm, Westside Produce & Provisions, and Honey Badger Honey will be there to hand out samples and talk about their sustainable practices.
Live music performed by 623 Jazz Combo.
You can purchase tickets on-line or at the door. Your $10 donation supports Buy Fresh Buy Local Hampton Roads.
Update: Hickory Ridge Farm has added a CSA program. contact them at http://jrpx28.wixsite.com/hickoryridgefarmjrpx28.wixsite.com/hickoryridgefarm
Farm to Fork 2017
Thank you to everyone who made our 7th Farm to Fork event so great.
A big thank you to the restaurants who made such delicious food, to the farms who provided the ingredients, the sponsors of the event and to the local businesses that donated raffle and silent auction items.
We especially couldn't have done it without the 60-plus volunteers who worked before and during the event.
The money raised will help promote our local food systems and educate consumers about the importance of buying locally.
Additionally, the Jack Johnson All At Once social action campaign will match the money raised in our
Jack Johnson silent auction and raffle. We look forward to another event in 2018.
THANK YOU to everyone!
Participating restaurants and producers:
Tautog's / Lynnhaven River Oyster Company
FMC Garden Cafe / Mattawoman Creek Farms
Murphy's Irish Pub / Quail Cove Farm
Cutting Edge Cafe / Pendulum Fine Meats
Simple Eats / Cullipher Farm
Three Ships Coffee / Martin Orchard, Vineyard & Winery
Culinary Institute of Virginia / H.M. Terry Company, Bees Knees Apiary
The Farmer's Grille / Full Quiver Farm
A big thank you to the restaurants who made such delicious food, to the farms who provided the ingredients, the sponsors of the event and to the local businesses that donated raffle and silent auction items.
We especially couldn't have done it without the 60-plus volunteers who worked before and during the event.
The money raised will help promote our local food systems and educate consumers about the importance of buying locally.
Additionally, the Jack Johnson All At Once social action campaign will match the money raised in our
Jack Johnson silent auction and raffle. We look forward to another event in 2018.
THANK YOU to everyone!
Participating restaurants and producers:
Tautog's / Lynnhaven River Oyster Company
FMC Garden Cafe / Mattawoman Creek Farms
Murphy's Irish Pub / Quail Cove Farm
Cutting Edge Cafe / Pendulum Fine Meats
Simple Eats / Cullipher Farm
Three Ships Coffee / Martin Orchard, Vineyard & Winery
Culinary Institute of Virginia / H.M. Terry Company, Bees Knees Apiary
The Farmer's Grille / Full Quiver Farm